Experience Summary
My formal experience as a tutor is minimal. However I have been called upon by several friends and acquaintances to assist in academic assignments with which they had been struggling. It has been my experience (as well as that of friends in academia) that a great number of young people do not understand the nature of plagiarism, i.e., when to cite and why it is necessary to do so. Another common problem is with spelling and usage (e.g., their, there, they're), spell-check not withstanding. The study of History has given me an understanding of why these, among other things, are important matters and why young people should be instructed in them.
Teaching Style
As a student of history I tend to emphasize that nothing happens in a vacuum. People and events must be placed in a context. Understanding when and where is an important first step to understanding why, whether the subject be literature, theology, philosophy, or politics.
Source materials must be central to any academic undertaking. Every reputable campus has at least one library containing printed resources that are invaluable. Additionally, every student should have access at home to very basic resources such as a dictionary, a thesaurus, and perhaps an encyclopedia. I dread the day that printed material becomes unfashionable.